Desert Queen Ranch
The Ranch traded hands many times but the last and longest owner was William F. Keys. The Ranch is located within  Joshua Tree National Park. Today they call it Keys Ranch. As you can see in the pictures it was an overcast day and quite cool. The high may have been 60. A few raindrops even fell on us which is a rarity there.
The Desert Queen Ranch was built on the site of the Desert Queen Mine. There was actually a small city there. But the desert took it's toll. The park service offers tours of the ranch twice a day during the winter and only twice a week during the summer. It get's HOT in the summer.
Bill was a very ingenious and creative guy. You can't see it in this photo but he built damns in the back and in the winter when the rains would come he had a lake and it usually held water all year. He had 6 wells on the property and was able to get enough water to grow an orchard to supply fruit for his family. He also had a garden because in the desert you couldn't just drive to a store. The ground here at the orchard was so hard he actually dynamited holes to plant trees. If your ever going to be in Joshua Tree you should check out a tour.